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Letter from the Editor
It’s spring in New England, and it’s a doozy. Whereas most years seem to go directly from winter into black fly season, this year it feels like we’ve had weeks of absolutely perfect weather – the kind of day where you don’t mind schlepping 15 yards of bark mulch around the yard; you’re just happy to be outside.
For those of you who’ve been subscribers for more than a year know what springtime means to me – car time. I am the proud owner of a 1969 Roadrunner, having worked over the past seven years to bring it...
from this:
to this:
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In my hobbies and in my work as a trainer, I’m always fascinated by performance. What makes a car go fast (what makes it go at
all)? What makes some people perform better than others? How can we get this car/person with so much potential to look and run up to its potential?
As with people performance, automotive performance is not always a matter of bigger or more – a bigger engine, a better suspension, or more fuel.
Last year I dropped a rebuilt engine into the Roadrunner. The engine is a 440 cubic inch monster (much bigger than my 383 that I “broke”) so I put on the biggest carburetor that my insane friends suggested – an 850 Holley double-pumper (even SOUNDS bad, doesn’t it); the 850 stands for the volume of air that passes through: 850 cubic feet per minute (cfm). My more sane and experienced friends suggested that 850 cfm may be TOO big for the engine, but I scoffed: Bigger is better, I thought. More, more, MORE!!!!!
Well, the car ran sluggish, the spark plugs continuously fouled, and I just couldn’t get the car in tune.
Until I put on a 750 cfm carburetor. Immediately after installing a
SMALLER carburetor, the engine ran like a top. It idles well, it has a very quick response, and the engine runs like a sewing machine – a BIG sewing machine.
:)
People performance is like that as well. Some clients think that if one day of training is good, five is better. If one job aid is good, ten is better. If you can teach one topic in an hour, three topics is better.
We spend a lot of time talking our clients OUT of bigger is better and to focus on change – prioritized, “what’s-most-important” change. Sometimes a shorter training with more on-the-job application is best. Sometimes two hours of prework is equivalent to a full extra day of training.
Bigger ISN’T always better. More sometimes is less. And less is sometimes best.
And if you see a nice-looking car this summer, give a thumbs-up to a fellow performance specialist!
Terry
 Coaching Across the Generation Mix
We are all moving into the workplace of the future together. It's all about competing for the best people.
And the best people are thinking about their
worklives in a whole new way.”
- Bruce Tulgan
Entelechy is currently working with Linkage, Inc. and Bruce Tulgan on the impact of the generation mix in today’s companies and organizations. Why the big emphasis on the generation mix? If you’re like many companies, you’re seeing 40% of your labor force retiring in the next five years. The labor force that’s retiring is being replaced with younger workers with very different ideas of work, performance, recognition, and loyalty. We as managers, trainers, and HR professionals need to be working TODAY to be ready for the generation mix of tomorrow.
Understanding the different  perspectives, expectations, and needs of all four generations that work in the workplace today is the key to finding the best practices you can use to utilize your employees’ strengths, to avoid clashes, to improve productivity, and to maximize teamwork.
Most experts agree with Tulgan, defining the four generations as outlined in the graphic to the right.
Each generation has its own set of characteristics, strengths, and challenges as indicated in the graphic below.
The challenge for us as managers and supervisors is to acknowledge and work with each generation’s strengths while mitigating the differences. And that’s no small challenge. There is no “one-size-fits-all” recognition program; Friday pizza and game day may appeal to Gen Xers but will drive Boomers batty. The pool table in the employee relaxation center attracts Gen X and Gen Y because work is an extension of their social network, but Boomers and Matures come to work to … well, work.
It’s no secret to why we are the way we are.
As a Boomer, we spent our corporate careers trying to overcome how we were raised. We were raised as independent, hard-headed know-it-alls. We had to learn how to shed notions of the corporate world as we knew it and learn how to Make Elephants Dance (a few of our group got a bit carried away and did some rather unethical things in seeing just how fast they could make that elephant dance). We had to learn how to work with others not like us to create High Performing Teams. We had to learn to make decisions by ourselves when management didn’t know what decision to make; we called it Empowerment. We had to learn how to manage people – not just budgets and numbers – and gave it an acronym to make it seem scientific: MBWA (Managing By Walking Around).
Gen X and Gen Y are also products of THEIR upbringing. They expect the corporate world to be an extension of their upbringing. While we Boomers are trying to empower Gen Yers, they’re looking for trophies and praise for showing up (I’m using exaggeration, folks, to make a point. Boomers are saying, “That’s right.” Gen Xers are crossing their arms in anger.)
Boomers are focusing on business goals. Gen Xers don’t give a hoot for corporate goals; they’re interested in their own advancement. To that, Boomers are saying, “That’s terrible.” Xers are saying, “That’s smart!”
Enter coaching.
Coaching is a communication method that can be used to address each generation’s unique needs:
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Matures thrive in a predictable, safe environment. Coaching provides a predictable, regular communication and development process.
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Boomers thrive when they have lots of context and rationale – which allows them to be in control. Coaching places the bulk of the control in the hands of the employee.
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Gen Xers thrive with stimulating, inspirational challenges. Coaching is the perfect opportunity to push Xers to greater heights.
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Gen Yers are looking for coaching, mentoring, and praise – they want you! Coaching provides the touchpoints that Yers need.
Like any model, there are exceptions. For example, I like to think that my two daughters – Gen Xers both – exemplify everything positive about their generation and none of the less positive characteristics (due, of course, to my stellar parenting skills!). However, I know that they are products of the times with unique cultural and economic and sociological events that shaped their outlook. The model, therefore, is a useful guide, a reference to help US each look for the unique needs and contributions of each generation and flex OUR style to better communicate with and work with other generations.
For more information about Entelechy’s Coaching for
Performance, check out this module as well as our 40 other modules, training tools, and eGuides at
www.unlockit.com.
Entelechy’s Newest Member: Marsha
O’Keefe
Marsha O'Keefe joined Entelechy as a Performance Consultant responsible for the design and development of our training programs. She brings a strong design and development background having performed needs assessments, developed curriculum, implemented learning events, and evaluated the efficiency of the learning event. Marsha brings a creativity to instructor-led training and blended training and has a tremendous amount of experience as a manager and trainer in on-boarding new hires.
Marsha is a positive force when leading a team or as part of a team. She enjoys working with people and takes great pride in seeing individuals excel. She has a sense of humor and great patience which has proven invaluable in the classroom.
Please join me in welcoming Marsha to the Entelechy team!
Entelechy Customizes High Performance Management
Editor’s Note: We are often asked to differentiate Entelechy from other training companies such as AchieveGlobal, DDI, Center for Creative Leadership, Huthwaithe, Franklin-Covey and others. While Entelechy is similar to the above companies in that we end up with a training program and performance consulting services, there are two primary – and we believe critical – differences. Entelechy believes that most sales, management, or customer service models that other companies tout as “advanced” and “unique” are, in fact surprisingly similar. (In our former roles as training directors, we saw more than our fair share of slick sales pitches selling virtually the same concept.) Second, Entelechy believes that effective training is built around YOUR needs (not OUR flashy sales, management, or customer service model) and YOUR goals. In fact, at the end of our customization, we authorize you to use the training – even modify the training – to meet your changing needs. (Oh, and we don’t charge you for the privilege to use or modify the training!)
Over the next several issues of The Key, we’ll feature examples of the work we’ve done to create training that is more than a gimmick; training that creates lasting change for companies and individuals.
Over the past month we’ve been working with an international manufacturing and service organization to create a supervisor development program for the installation and service supervisors. As part of a global emphasis on people development, this client recognizes the critical role front-line managers have in developing and retaining their employees. Additionally, given the fact that this client uses union labor throughout its
U.S. sites, a generic, off-the-shelf program simply won’t address their unique challenges.
While the global learning organization provided training ideas, the client knew that the success of the program would be in the applicability of the management and leadership concepts to the day-to-day work. Entelechy spent a significant amount of time interviewing managers (stakeholders) to find out what key behavior changes THEY would like to see as a result of the training. These interviews resulted in some key changes to the training design. Furthermore, by spending time job shadowing supervisors and branch managers, we were able to determine available opportunities where supervisors attending the training would be able to demonstrate their new skills.
While the proof is in the pudding – and the pudding gets piloted in July – we’re confident that the upfront work in getting to know the company and the real challenges their supervisors face on the job will result in a practical and effective supervisory training program – one that will help the company develop and retain its most valuable resource – the talent of its people.
For more information on how Entelechy can customize a management training program for YOUR company, contact Terry at
ttraut@unlockit.com. (Note: We also customize sales and customer service training as well!)
And Now for Something Completely Different
Jott
Here is a cool website that allows you to call a toll free number and, through voice recognition, will send an email or text message to whomever you want. And it’s free!
www.jott.com
Color Cop
Color Cop is described as “a multi-purpose color picker for web designers and programmers.” But if you’ve ever tried to match a logo color in PowerPoint, you need this free tool. It features an eyedropper and magnifier, and has color code support for HTML Hex, Delphi Hex, PowerBuilder, Visual Basic Hex, and Visual C++ Hex.
http://colorcop.net/
Mailing and Privacy Information
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The Key. If you've received this email in error, please click on
http://unlockit.com/newsletter.htm
to be removed immediately from our mailing database with our apologies. (If you have trouble with the optout link, please reply to this email directly and I'll personally remove your name.)
Send this email to your friends and colleagues who may be involved in training and the performance of others and could benefit from FREE performance tips, tools, and techniques.
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Terence Traut, President of Entelechy "unlocking potential"
ttraut@unlockit.com
phone: 603-424-1237
fax: 603-424-6361
http://www.unlockit.com
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